Established in 2022, CIRCLE of Friends (CoF) is a space for international students, as well as students interested in different cultures, to hangout, make friends, share, learn, and get support. Every Tuesday and Friday from 6:00-8:00 p.m., you can join CoF teams for all kinds of fun activities, helpful presentations, meaningful discussions, free snacks, and much more!
Chat 1:1 with Dan, Executive Director of CIRCLE
CoF Program Goals:
- Provide a welcoming space where international students can hang out, make friends and find a community where they belong. (Connection & Community)
- Create a safe space where international students can share their stories, voice their concerns, and support one another (Safe space)
- Connect international students with campus resources to support their academic and professional growth. (Resources and support)
- Create fun activities to enhance cultural understanding, as well as social aspects of being a college student in the U.S. (Social life)
- Build a casual environment for students to reach their full potential. (Leadership)
Meet the CoF Team
CoF Leadership
Dan Zhu (朱老師) (she/her) | Executive Director, CoF Program Founder
From: Jiangxi & Beijing, China
Languages Spoken: Mandarin Chinese, Hakka and English
Major: I did my undergraduate in BNU (北师大) and finished my PhD in English composition at UW a while ago.
Fun fact: I have two lovely mixed boys: Miles and Sebastian.
Marion Ferguson (she/her) | Assistant Director for Undergraduate Programs, CoF Program Manager
From: Ithaca, New York
Languages Spoken: English
About me: I was an international student at the University of Edinburgh. I love to paint and explore the beautiful PNW with my dog!
Sangey Rinchen (he/him) | CIRCLE Student Events Manager, CoF Program Leader
From: Bhutan
Languages spoken: English, Dzongkha, a little German
Major: Statistics
About me: I enjoy long hikes, writing stories, and spending time with my family!
Meichen Liu (she/her) | CIRCLE of Friends Peer Advisor (PA)
Languages spoken: English, Mandarin
Major: Accounting and Information Systems (intended)
About me: I love spending rainy afternoons playing random pieces on my cello or inviting friends over for potlucks!
Rangel Zhou (he/him) | CIRCLE Ambassador (CA)
Languages spoken: Chinese, English, a little Spanish
Major: Industrial Engineering
About me: Love playing tennis, drawing, all outdoors, and photoshooting, also a big animal lover.
Natalie Hu (she/her) | CIRCLE Ambassador (CA)
Languages spoken: English, Mandarin, a little Spanish and Korean
Major: Intended Business
About me: I love watching F1, skiing, playing guitar and the Fast & Furious franchise.
Dia Dora (she/her) | CIRCLE Ambassador (CA)
Languages spoken: English, Hindi, and Spanish
Major: Informatics (Data Science)
About me: I love film, singing, and exploring cafes in Seattle!
Navya Chugh (she/her) | CIRCLE Ambassador (CA)
Languages spoken: English and Hindi
Major: Statistics
About me: I love doing yoga and binge-watching series.
Philip Chen (he/him) | CIRCLE Ambassador (CA)
Languages spoken: English and Mandarin
Major: Intended Business
Celine Park (she/her) | CIRCLE Ambassador (CA)
Languages spoken: English and Korean
Major: Medical Anthro
About me: I love listening to musics and fishing.
Leo Fan (he/him) | CIRCLE of Friends Peer Advisor (PA)
Languages spoken: Mandarin, English
Major: Informatics
About me: I climbed Mt. Baker last spring.
Alicia Liu (she/her) | CIRCLE Ambassador (CA)
Languages spoken: English and Mandarin
Major: Informatics
About me: Love coffee✌️
Aniket Jain (he/him) | CIRCLE Ambassador (CA)
Languages spoken: English, Hindi, and Marathi
Major: Mechanical Engineering
About me: I love playing soccer, eating sushi and watching Bollywood movies.
Michael Mam (he/him) | CIRCLE Ambassador (CA)
Languages spoken: English, Khmer, and French
Major: Intended Industrial Design
About me: I’ve never seen snow! I like playing guitar, chess, going to museums or markets, and trying different cuisines. I’m still new to Seattle so any restaurant reccs would be appreciated.
Dhanush Pericherla (he/him) | CIRCLE Ambassador (CA)
Languages spoken: English and Hindi
Major: Electrical and Computer Engineering
About me: Love playing Tennis, watching F1.
Shresth Goyal (he/him) | CIRCLE of Friends Peer Advisor (PA)
Languages spoken: English, Hindi
Major: Informatics in Data Science (intended)
About me: I love watching F1, and love going to Dough Zone for their noodles.
Ketki Vaidya (she/her) | CIRCLE Ambassador (CA)
Languages spoken: English, Hindi
Major: Human-Centered Design & Engineeringx
About me: I’m a HUGEE food enthusiast, and I love watching movies, kayaking, listening to music, and exporing the outdoors.
Rachel Daniel (she/her) | CIRCLE Ambassador (CA)
Languages spoken: English, Hindi, and Tamil
Major: Molecular, Cellular Biology
About me: I love listening to music, water sports and coffee! My hobbies are dance and crocheting.
Houma Yoshimoci (he/him) | CIRCLE Ambassador (CA)
Languages spoken: English and Japanese
Major: Aerospace Engineering
About me: I’m a hooper, pulling up to the gym for a quick run during my free time.
Monrada (MJ) Sae-Seai (she/her) | CIRCLE Ambassador (CA)
Languages spoken: English, Thai, un poco Español
Major: Molecular, Cellular, Developmental Biology
About me: I’m a singer (love Disney and TS) and I songwrite sometimes! I also love to play sports: volleyball, tennis, badminton, iceskating!
Amy Cao (she/her) | CIRCLE Ambassador (CA)
Languages spoken: Mandarin and English
Major: Undeclared
About me: I love reading books and watching movies. I also enjoy going to concerts. I sometimes write novels and poems.
Sally Zhang (she/her) | CIRCLE Ambassador (CA)
Languages spoken: Mandarin and English
Major: Psychology
About me: I like playing video games and spent tons of time on it. I can chat a lot about Nintendo and PC games.
Yash Solanki (he/him) | CIRCLE Ambassador (CA)
Languages spoken: English, Hindi, and Gujrati
Major: Computer Science
About me: I really like to play tennis and watch F1, other than this I also am a huge fan of nintendo games like the Zelda series.
CIRCLE of Friends Autumn Quarter Events Overview
| Date | Event Name | Time | Location |
| 9/30 (Tue) | CIRCLE Bowling Night | 5:30-7:30 p.m. | HUB Games |
| 10/3 (Fri) | Mochi donuts, ice cream, and building friendships | 6:00-8:00 p.m. | Schmitz Hall 250 |
| 10/7 (Tue) | Language & Cultural Trivia Night with boba | 6:00-8:00 p.m. | Schmitz Hall 250 |
| 10/10 (Fri) | CIRCLE Tailgate Party | 3:00-5:00 p.m. | WAC Great Room |
| 10/14 (Tue) | Pool and Table Tennis Night | 6:00-8:00 p.m. | HUB Games |
| 10/17 (Fri) | 10:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. | Schmitz Hall 250 | |
| 10/20 (Mon) | Diwali Celebration | 4:00-7:00 pm.m | Intellectual House |
| 10/21 (Tues) | Diya Painting | 6:00-8:00 p.m. | HUB 141 |
| 10/25 (Sat) |
Night Corn Maze
|
4:00-10:00 p.m. | Meet at Schmitz Hall |
| 10/28 (Tue) | TBD! | 6:00-8:00 p.m. | TBD |
| 10/31 (Fri) | CIRCLE Halloween Party | 5:30-8:00 p.m. | Schmitz Hall 250 |
| 11/4 (Tue) |
TBD!
|
6:00-8:00 p.m. | TBD |
| 11/7 (Fri) | Winter Course Registration and Major Application Session | 6:00-8:00 p.m. | Schmitz Hall 250 |
| 11/11 (Tue) | Veteran’s Day **FEDERAL HOLIDAY** | — | — |
| 11/14 (Fri) | TBD! | 6:00-8:00 p.m. | TBD |
| 11/18 (Tue) | Finding on-campus job opportunities | TBD | TBD |
| 11/21 (Fri) |
Table for Four
|
6:00-8:00 p.m. | TBD |
| 11/26 (Weds) | 4:30-8:30 p.m. | Oak Hall, Denny Room | |
| 12/5 (Fri) | FIFA Group Draw watch party and Breakfast | TBD | Schmitz Hall 250 |
The CIRCLE of Friends is proudly funded by the Services and Activities Fee (SAF), a student-levied fund designed to enhance the out-of-class experience for students at the University of Washington. SAF supports a wide range of programs and services that promote students’ cultural, emotional, intellectual, physical, and social well-being. Through this funding, we’re able to offer ongoing support and create a space where all students can thrive and feel at home.